What a spectacle
by I'm Reader-anon
Summary: Everyone has their views in life. Some are clear while others are a bit blurred. You just need someone to help you see things better


Alden was in his bedroom at his home near Chocolate Lake. He was on his computer playing Fortnite, a battle royale game that pitted many players against each other against each other using various weapons and traps, pretty much like any first person shooter game except with the addition of adding a build mechanic to it.

Anyway, Alden was on his computer playing. He had been playing the game for about four days straight now. At first, he just wanted to try out the game because of some videos he saw. But after purchasing it and going through the story mode, he found out that you couldn't really progress much unless you play the online mode to gain experience and level up. So, after completing a few quests, playing multiplayer, and going through the story mode again and again, Alden started to become so addicted that he wouldn't even move from his chair. In fact, he hadn't even raced once in those four days. He only ever got up to use the toilet or grab a quick snack.

As he was playing, a knock came at the door.

 **Knock knock...**

"Alden, are you in there?" A voice said.

"Yeah, I'm here. Come in," he replied, not even turning away from the screen.

The door opened up to reveal Jojo with a bag of... something in his hand. "Hey bro, you'll never guess what I found today."

"Hmm... oh really? What'd you get?" Alden asked, but his tone seemed disinterested as he continued with his game.

Jojo reached into the bag and pulled out what looked like giant blueberries that were almost as big as apples. "Check these out. These are called Oran berries. I got it from the Pokemon game that was installed a few weeks back. I think it was Terra?"

"Tretta, you mean." Alden corrected. "It replaced the Pokemon Battrio systems in 2012." Even though he was still playing, he couldn't help inform his brother of a slight fact he learned recently.

"Huh, you don't say. I really should get the game names around here right." He put the berries back in the bag and sat on the bed. "So, what are you playing?"

Alden didn't reply right away since he was focused on making his character jump onto a guided rocket from another player.

"Alden."

The boy still didn't reply.

Getting annoyed with the lack of an answer, Jojo got up and watch the game. On it was Alden's character, a guy wearing a scuba diver's outfit and holding a large plunger with a katana stuck through it, was hiding behind a wall. Another character, who looked vaguely like a grown up version of Candlehead with a giant lollipop, burst through the wall and hit Alden's character repeatedly until he died. The other player was even dancing the Carlton, a move both brothers knew very well.

"Shoot! Candlehead killed me!" Alden moved away from the keyboard a bit and rubbed his eyes. The round was over and Candlehead's team had apparently won. He turned to Jojo and said, "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was aski-" Jojo started to day when he smelled something terrible. "Holy sugar! That reeks, brod!" He covered his nose and used his other hand to wave away the smell.

"What reeks?" Alden asked. He looked around the room and found nothing unusual. Well, except for the bag of berries Jojo brought with him. "I don't smell anything. Maybe it's those berries you brought in." Alden was about to turn back to his computer to start a new round when Jojo stopped him. "Hey!"

"Yo, how long have you been playing this game?" Jojo suddenly asked.

"Um..." Alden thought back but seemed to have lost track of time. "I don't know. What day is it today?"

"Thursday."

Alden was shocked. "Wait, Thursday?!"

Jojo nodded. "Yeah, _Huwebes._ Why?"

"Boss, I started the game on Monday! Why didn't you come to check up on me?" Alden said.

Jojo just shrugged. "Eh, not my department. You were supposed to be the responsible one. Besides, do you have any idea how far you have to go into a Pokemon game to get some berries without fighting anyone?"

Alden sighed, knowing what his brother had just said was true. "Fine, you got me." He leaned back on his chair and stretched his arms. Playing a computer game for four days really left him quite sore from leaning forward towards the screen and keeping his arm on one position for such a long period.

Jojo could hear some of his brother's joints popping from staying on the computer for so long. "Sounds to me like you need a break."

Alden agreed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Lucky for you, I know just what to do to unwind." Jojo grabbed Alden's arm and was about to pull him out the door when Alden let go.

The younger of the two got up and was about to go to bed. "No thanks. I'm just gonna take a nap. I'll see you at dinner, Jojo."

The older of the two looked upset. "Aw, you're not coming?"

Alden shook his head. "Nah, maybe next time. For now though..." he let out a big yawn, "I want some much needed sleep."

Seeing that his brother wasn't going along with him, Jojo hatched a small idea. Taking out a small candy from his vest pocket, he cupped it in his hands and walked over to a bowl of similar looking candies, looking to be Skittles, on Alden's desk, placing the slightly larger looking piece on top.

"Oh, okay then. Tomorrow, I guess," he said, sounding a bit down. He picked up the candy bowl and took a piece below the one he just placed before handing it to Alden. "But before that, brod, would you like a piece?"

Alden turned to him and smiled a bit. "Sure, why not." He grabbed the large piece Jojo placed and popped it in his mouth. "Huh... that's a weird taste for a Skittle." He sat on his bed and turned to Jojo, saying, "Well, see you in a couple of hou-" As he was about to lay down, out of nowhere, Alden began to feel a bit strange. He started to feel lightheaded for some reason. He could feel his head starting to swell up as he toppled forward off the bed. Fortunately, Jojo caught him.

"Jojo! What did you do?!"

Jojo giggled. "Nothing much. You just ate one of those Airheads Bites."

Alden was stunned. "A-Airheads?!"

Jojo nodded. "Yeppers."

Alden suddenly felt angry. "Oh I am _so_ gonna kill you!"

"Hold that thought," Jojo said. He quickly opened the window next to the bed and pushed Alden's head through it. "Just in case you blast off, you know."

Right at that moment, Alden's head fully inflated but his body shrunk. Because his head was only partially out the window, the inflation caused him to get stuck. His now tiny body was just left there dangling.

"Jojo, get me out of here!" Alden ordered.

The Airheads boy was now pretty confused. "Wait, why didn't you blast off yet?" He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out the packaging for the Airheads Bites. "Oh wait, duh! These are modern Airheads. They come with the balloon head effect." He laughed.

"Jojo!"

"Calm down, bro. The effects will wear off in a few minutes. Unless I gave you the long lasting one."

"JOJO!"

"Kidding!" Jojo said. "You'll be out in no time." He took out his phone and began recording. "Until then, there's something I've always wanted to try."

"Jojo, what are you doing over there?" Alden asked.

He ignored Alden's question and shot a short video of his brother's awkward position. "Who's the Airhead now, Peanut?"

"Not funny, Jojo!" Alden shot back.

Jojo stood his phone up on the desk so that both he and Alden are within the frame. He put his hands together with the index and middle fingers out. "And now, a little anime question for you Alden."

Alden sighed. "What is it?"

"In the original Naruto series, what technique did Kakashi use on Naruto during the first bell test?"

Alden didn't need much time to figure out the answer. After all, he was almost like the game's expert on all things anime. "Let's see... that would be the the Thousand Years of De-" he stopped when he realized what it was. "J-Jojo... you aren't gonna..." He could hear his brother laughing.

"Hmm... maybe." Jojo replied.

Alden gulped. "You aren't serious, right? You aren't gonna do it?"

"That depends on whether or not you'll do what I say once your head deflates."

Alden tried to shake his head but couldn't for obvious reasons. "No! I just want to stay here and relax."

Jojo shrugged again. "Oh well. You asked for it." He placed himself behind his brother and aimed for a specific spot. "Thousand Years of Deat-"

"Okay, okay! I give!" Alden yelled out. Fortunately for him, there weren't many people who come to Chocolate Lake often, so his cry wasn't heard by anyone else.

Jojo smiled. "Good." He looked at the clock on the wall and said, "Perfect timing too. It should wear out right... now."

Right on cue, Alden's head returned to normal along with his body. He pulled himself from the window and glared at his brother.

The older of the two just put his hands up. "Yeah, yeah... I know. Just go get cleaned up and get dressed. This room smells." He opened up both windows and turned on a fan to let some fresh air in.

Alden crossed his arms and pouted. "I still don't smell anything. Just plain chocolate. And that's how it usually smells in here."

Jojo didn't seem to share his brother's opinion. "Okay, I get that us racers smell like our theme candies, some more so than others if merchandise is to be believed, but in here is just too much." He took a handkerchief from his pocket and covered his nose and mouth with it before pocketing his phone and grabbing his bag full of berries. "Anyway, I'll meet you down by Main Street when you're done. Later!"

Alden just watched his brother leave and felt embarrassed and humiliated but thought that he might as well do as he said. After he ate the Airhead Bite, he felt his tiredness disappear anyway. He got some clean clothes from his closet and proceeded to the bathroom.

* * *

( _A few minutes later..._ )

Alden, now clean and freshly dressed, drove the Cloud 9 (albeit rather slowly for some reason) to Main Street, the area in town where most of the shops were located. There he saw a person with red pants (obviously Jojo) in front of Crumbelina's Cafe.

"Hey, you made it," Jojo said.

Alden parked his kart in front of the shop, nearly hitting a small candy person while he did. Luckily, the candy person, who he recognized as one of Taffyta's fans, wasn't hurt. She gave a slight wave and walked away to a shop across the street. After seeing that she was okay, he hopped out and put his hands in his pockets and said, "Well, you didn't really give me much of a choice now, did you?"

Jojo put his hand on Alden's shoulder and began to lead him inside. "Oh don't be like that. I'm trying to be a good brother and helping my baby bro out for once. Besides, this time it's my treat."

As soon as they entered the cafe, the fresh smell of baked goods and coffee hit them. Alden loved this smell. Despite being a racer, he was more in favor of coffee than sugary drinks like soda. He had been told once that too much coffee wasn't good for a racer since it messes with their focus during races, but he didn't really care. Being a bartender at his own bar, he did mess around with coffee-based drinks from time to time. He had even said once that if he wasn't busy with being the owner of the Pit Stop, he would've chosen to be a barista instead. You just get much better feedback from people in coffee shops than people who are drunk off rum.

"Wow, that smells so good!" Alden commented.

"Yeah, it does," Jojo said. He led Alden to the line full of candy people and a couple of other racers, passing by the other seated patrons as they did. "So, what are you in the mood for, brod?" Jojo pointed towards the menu overhead.

Alden tried to get a good look but seemed to be having a problem. To him, the menu seemed unusually blurry. He could make out some of the words because some were color coded to which flavor they represented, but the others weren't. He knew they were alphabetized though and saw the portion of the list that contained the letter "M".

Still having a tough time seeing, pointed to the flavor of frappe he wanted. "That one," he said.

Jojo looked at him oddly. "Are you sure?"

Alden nodded. "Yes. Oh, and a mango muffin."

Jojo tilted his head a bit but complied with the request. " _Sige._ Now if you can go get us a table before someone else does?"

Alden smiled and got a table near the back of the store.

' _And they call_ me _the weird one_.' Jojo thought. He looked ahead and saw that it was now his turn.

"Next please!" Crumbelina said. The posh racer wore a pink apron over her regular outfit but removed her jacket and her hat prior to her starting the day's work. Instead, she wore a light brown garrison cap.

"Hey Crumbelina," Jojo greeted.

"Oh, hey Jojo!" Crumbelina greeted back with a friendly smile. "Let me guess, your usual caramel frappe?"

"Yeah. Oh, and a frappe for Alden too, plus a mango muffin."

Crumbelina's eyes widened a bit. "Wait, Alden's back? You finally got him out of the house?"

"Yep. Right over there." He pointed over to the back of the store. The two saw Alden on his phone, but it looked like it was too close to his face.

"Uh... is there something wrong with him?" Crumbelina asked.

The older boy shook his head. "I'm sure he'll be fine." He brought his attention back to the menu. "Anyway, can I get that new flavor for Alden?"

"Sure." She typed in the items into the register and printed out the bill. "That'll be 18 coins." Jojo pulled out the coins from his hat and handed them over. "Thanks. I'll bring your order out in a minute."

" _Salamat._ " And with that, Jojo went back to join his brother.

"Hey Peanut."

Alden looked up from his phone and noticed his brother. "Hey."

"Whatcha reading there?"

"Just some fics. But I have no idea who Serena is. I don't remember her in any of the Naruto episodes or manga."

"Huh, Serena?" Jojo took the phone and saw what Alden had been reading. He scrolled to the top of the page and saw the title. "Uh... brod, this is a Pokemon fic."

" _Talaga_?" Alden asked.

"Uh-huh. And I thought you didn't like Pokemon all that much." Jojo questioned.

"I-I guess I just clicked the wrong tag." Alden said nervously. "Oh look, our frappes are here."

Jojo turned to the side and saw a person holding their drinks.

"Hey boys, here're your orders." Crumbelina set down the drinks and muffin on the table.

"Thanks Crumbs." They both said. Jojo sat down and took his frappe.

"So, is there anything you want to tell me, boss?" Jojo asked. Make no mistake about it but "boss" wasn't always used as the name of one's employer. Or at least not in the brothers' case.

"N-No." Alden sipped his frappe but found the flavor disgusting. "Bleh!... What the hell? What's with this drink? It tastes like someone ground up lawn clippings in it."

"That's what you get for ordering matcha, boss." Jojo commented.

"Matcha? I said mango. Who orders matcha flavored anything around here? Some anime obsessed nut?" Alden saw Jojo giving him _that_ face. "Alright, point taken. But I didn't order this."

Jojo took the straw in his cup and swirled it around to mix the caramel syrup and cream into his coffee. "As a matter of fact, you did."

"No I didn't."

"Yeah, you did. You were looking at it so closely too, I thought it might ignite the menu board." Jojo chuckled. "Anywho, you can't take it back. Just suck it up cuz' we're going to-" Before Jojo could finish, they heard a familiar voice behind them.

"Alden, you're back!"

The two turned to see a boy with light brown hair and green eyes dressed in an all black jacket, a red shirt, and black pants.

"Hey Jack," Jojo said.

"Yeah, hey Jojo!" Jack replied. He put his fist out and Jojo returned with a fist bump. "So, what have you two been up to? It's been a while since anyone had seen you."

"I was in a Pokemon game picking some berries," Jojo answered.

"I was playing that new Fortnite game," Alden replied this time.

Jack seemed surprised. "For four days?"

Alden nodded slightly, feeling embarrassed that he got obsessed over a game. "Yeah, sorry. But I'm okay now. Raring to go back to runnin' and racin'."

"That's good to hear," Jack said, "Because while you were gone, I've been stuck with delivering the packages to the other games. The office is overflowing with undelivered boxes and crates. I could sure use your help."

"Shoot! Of course!" Alden gulped down the rest of the matcha frappe, almost feeling sick from it, and grabbed the muffin. "I'm gonna take this to go. Sorry bro but duty calls." With that, he ran out to his kart and started it up.

"Good talk. And nice to see you, Jojo," Jack said before he followed Alden out of the store. Jack hopped onto the spoiler of the Cloud 9 and the two set off for their destination.

"So much for brother bonding time." Jojo sighed and realized that he still had Alden's phone in his hand. "Crepe! He forgot his phone. Better return it before he leaves the game again." He picked up what remained of his drink and got his kart. He ignited the Chewvrol-8's engines and followed his brother.

* * *

 _Huwebes -_ Thursday

 _Sige -_ Okay

 _Talaga -_ Really

 _Salamat -_ Thank you


End file.
